Never Really Gone
by XxRoseAngelxX
Summary: sequel to 'Someone Like Me' Sasuke goes missing, and Kikyo goes to Akatsuki to gather clues. But when she becomes friends with the organization, can she convince them to work with Konoha to save Sasuke? And why can't Kikyo master the art of opening doors?
1. Chapter 1

**Oh my goodness! You're like a log! GET UP!**

_Shut UP, Chi! I'm trying to sleep!_

**Do you know what today is?! I don't believe we have to do this EVERY YEAR!**

_What are you-OHMYGOSH! IT'S THAT DAY, ALREADY?!_

**Yeah, stupid! Now get up!**

My eyes flew open and I jumped out of bed, grabbing clothes as I ran through the room. _Stupid, stupid Kikyo! I always forget! Why can't he have his birthday on a day that's easier to remember?!_

**Well, be sure to remind him to change his birth date! Now move yourself!**

_I'm trying! It's not so easy when I had my sleep disturbed by YOU!_

I crashed into the kitchen, tripping over something and landing on my face. 'Who put a kunai pouch in front of the door?!'

Kakashi walked in. 'Sorry, that's mine.'

I stared at him for a good three minutes. 'Why are you in my house, you crazy perv?!'

He looked down at his feet. 'You always have good things in the refrigerator..'

'Argh! Whatever! I don't have time for this! Tell Ino I'm going to the party!'

'Ino left an hour ago.'

I stared at Kakashi some more. He laughed. 'Come to think of it, I thought you were gone, too.'

'So..you came into _my_ house, to steal _my_ food that _I_ paid for because you thought no one was home?'

He nodded happily.

'You're a crazy old man. Now get out the way. I'm in a hurry!'

I crashed through the front door. Kakashi stood on the porch. 'I'll watch the house while you're gone! Don't worry!'

_Note to self : put a lock on the refrigerator._

**Note to self : put a lock on your HOUSE.**

_Argh! I don't understand how I always forget Sasuke's birthday! Well..at least I remembered to make a present ahead of time.._

As I jumped from building to building, I pulled the tiny silver chain with the Uchiha clan symbol dangling from the end.

**It's better than the chicken cookies you got him last year.**

_They weren't chicken cookies! They were shaped like his head! Everyone wants cookies shaped like their head! Don't be jealous, Chi!_

**Jealous. Sure.**

I stopped on one of the buildings and carefully put the chain back into my pocket. I noticed something odd. There weren't many ninja on the streets. Usually the streets and alleys were packed with ninja, but now they were completely empty except for a couple of regular villagers. _Whatever. They're probably on missions_.

Then I spotted two Chunin walking down the street. I was about to keep jumping when I caught some of their conversation. 'It was the Uchiha, right?' one of them said.

The other one nodded. 'Yeah. They think it's that crazy brother of his. The one that killed the whole clan.'

'What a shame. And he was the last one, too.'

My heart sank immediately.

**Oh no..**

_They're talking about..about Sasuke.._

I didn't even think. I jumped from the building and sped towards the Hokage's office. Tsunade would have answers. I ran through the door and took the stairs three at a time. Right outside Tsunade's room, I stopped to listen to the voices inside.

'No! We have to go after them!' I heard Sakura say. She sounded beyond upset.

Tsunade sighed. 'I know how you feel, Sakura. I know he was your fiancee, but we need to be careful in this situation.'

'Was?! _Was_?! Don't talk about him like he's dead, Tsunade! Just let me go! I'll get him!'

'We don't know what the kidnappers are going to do, Sakura! We can't just dash in without any clues!'

I heard Sakura hit the floor and begin sobbing. I opened the door, numb with shock. 'Kidnappers?'

Tsunade got up from her desk. 'Kikyo, come in, please. We have a situation.'

Sakura grabbed my ankle. 'Please, Kikyo! Tell her that we can handle it! You're a Jounin now! You're one of the strongest! Tell her we can do it!'

'Sakura, shush!' said Tsunade. Then she turned to me. 'Kikyo, as of this morning, Sasuke Uchiha was deemed missing. There were signs of a struggle.'


	2. He's Akatsuki!

I could just stare at Tsunade. I couldn't believe what she had just said. 'W-what?'

'Sasuke's missing, Kikyo. And we have a few suspects, but we're gonna need the help of you, Sakura, and Naruto.'

'Of course..Anything..'

I was still numb with shock. Sasuke was missing. _Missing_. He was one of the strongest in the village, and he was _kidnapped_? This was bad. 'What do I need to do?'

Tsunade sat back at her desk. Sakura had regained her composure and was standing next to me. 'I'm sending you to the Akatsuki, Kikyo.'

I flinched. _Wasn't expecting that._

'Akatsuki?! But, Tsunade-'

She raised her hand. 'No. You're going. We think that Itachi Uchiha may have had something to do with Sasuke's disappearance. You're going to pretend to be captured by them and learn everything you can about where Sasuke might be. Sakura.'

Sakura straightened up. 'Yes?'

'You're going to Sunagakure. We don't think they had anything to do with the kidnapping, but we want to ask for their help in case we need backup. Gaara will assist you.' Sakura nodded.

I couldn't help my curiousity. 'Where is Naruto going?'

'I'm sending him to the Sound village. He's going to find out if Orochimaru took Sasuke.'

_Wonderful. Send my boyfriend to crazy Orochimaru._

**You shouldn't be talking! You're going to crazy Itachi and his crazy homicidal self!**

Tsunade looked towards the window. 'I sent ANBU operatives to find any traces of the kidnappers. You two should go home and prepare for your mission. You're both leaving tomorrow. Naruto has already been informed of his mission.'

I nodded and started back for home. When I opened the door, I was shocked to find that Kakashi was gone. I ran for the fridge. Empty. 'Damn it, Kakashi! Stop eating all of my food! Argh!'

'Uh, Kikyo? Why are you yelling at the fridge?'

I spun around and saw Naruto sitting at the kitchen table. I walked to the table and sat down. No one said anything for a couple of minutes. 'We're gonna be gone for a while, huh?'

'Yeah,' I replied. 'You're off to Orochimaru, and I gotta deal with Akatsuki. Great.'

Naruto reached for my hand, and the touch was comforting. 'We'll find Sasuke. I mean, knowing him, he's probably already breaking his way out of wherever he is!'

I nodded. Naruto rose from the table. 'I gotta go home and sleep. I'll see you and Sakura tomorrow. We're all leaving at the same time.'

He began to move towards the door and I called him back. 'N-naruto!'

'Hn?'

I didn't want to say it. 'I..W-what if we don't come back?'

Naruto thought for a moment. 'Well, Sakura has the safest job because she's just going to Sunagakure, but you and me have it pretty tough. You're one of the most skilled Jounin in the village. I mean, you overcame a demon last year. I think you can handle the Akatsuki.'

Then he left the house. But what he didn't realize is, I wasn't worried about myself. Naruto was caring, yes. But he was also brash and hasty. He wanted things done when he wanted things done. He was the kind to rush into battle without any clues about the enemy. _That's_ what I was worried about. Orochimaru was one of the cleverest ninja ever to walk the planet, and Naruto was going to have to watch him without being caught. He would possibly even have to save Sasuke on his own.

I shook all of these thoughts from my head as the front door opened and Ino walked in. Her blonde hair was hanging in front of her eyes, and I knew that she had gotten the news about Sasuke. 'Ino?' I said softly.

She looked up. 'He's gone, right? Yeah, Tsunade told me. I..I'm going to help Sakura pack. She must be a total wreck. You think I should bring her some food?'

I nodded my head no. 'That's gonna be an issue.'

'Why?'

'Kakashi raided our fridge again.'

Ino blinked a few times. 'Argh! How does that old silver haired pervert keep getting into our house?! Do I have to sit on the porch and keep watch to keep him out?!'

I couldn't help but laugh. Ino smiled. 'Well, you're going on a mission tomorrow, right? Tsunade wouldn't tell me what the mission was..'

_Hn. She probably wants to keep it a secret._

**Yeah. Better fool Ino.**

'It's nothing,' I said. 'It's just a mission to keep my mind off Sasuke. Naruto and Sakura are going on one too. But we're gonna be gone for a few months, so you don't have to buy as much food..unless you wanna feed Kakashi too.'

She sighed. 'I might as well. It seems like no matter how much I Kakashi-proof the house, he _always_ gets in!'

We laughed again, and I headed upstairs to get some sleep and pack. I didn't realize how tired I was until my head hit the pillow and I immediately fell into a deep sleep.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x--x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x--x-x

I was standing on top of the Hokage mountain, looking down at Konoha. I looked to my left and my right and saw Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura standing on either side of me. They all head leaves in their hands. _I remember this..This was a year ago today.._

**Yeah. The day that Hyako began to break out.**

I almost flinched. I had forgotten all about Hyako, the demon who had tried to take over Konoha using _my_ body. The demon who had killed my best friend, and who had almost killed Neji Hyuuga, the one person who was able to seal her away for good. But she was gone for good now.

The scene changed, and I saw myself falling off the side of the mountain, with Neji dashing outside just in time to catch me. The scene changed again. I saw myself in the training grounds, where I lost control of Hyako and completely destroyed everything in a five mile radius.

Scene changed.

I saw myself waking up in the hospital room, with Naruto finally admitting that he loved me, and Neji getting punched pretty hard in the face.

Scene changed.

I saw myself in Hyako's chamber, releasing her from her prison and setting her free in the world. I saw Ren coming to save me at the last minute and taking me to see Chi.

Scene changed.

I saw myself fighting desperately with Hyako. She was trying to crush my organs and cut off my circulation, killing me before Neji could seal her. I saw my eyes begin to flutter, and I saw myself lay still upon the floor as Hyako was finally banished from my body.

**Come on, get up. Stop watching. It's time to leave, anyway.**

_Was that really only a year ago?_

**Yeah..Hard to believe, eh?**

_Wow, you don't know how happy I am that Hyako's gone_.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x--x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Chi helped me wake up. I blinked against the sunlight streaming into my room, and I thought, _Wow, this could be my last few hours in Konoha._

**Don't think that. You know you're stronger than anyone in the village. Akatsuki is gonna be nothing for you.**

_Yeah, I guess._

I got dressed and left a note for Ino, because she was still sleeping. Who knew when I would see her again?

As I approached the village gate, I caught sight of Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi. They smiled as I came close, but I knew they were all nervous. Well, not all of them. Kakashi just looked hungry. _Not surprising._

'Hey, Kakashi. Ino just went to the supermarket yesterday. Our fridge is stocked for the next month. You better go take advantage of it while you can, old man.'

He scowled. 'I'm not _that_ old!' Then he smiled. 'And maybe you're not sucha bad kid. Don't die, kay?'

I nodded, and Kakashi said goodbye to Naruto and Sakura before dashing off towards my house. _Ino's gonna wake up and find Kakashi sitting in the kitchen. Hehe._

That left me, Naruto, and Sakura. We walked out of the village and started down the road. We would travel together until we had to take seperate routes. Naruto was heading directly to the Sound village, Sakura was going directly to Sunagakure, and I was going towards a village where Akatsuki members had been spotted.

We talked until we came to the fork in the road. Naruto looked back at me and Sakura before giving us each huge hugs. He pulled me aside. 'Be careful, okay? I love you, and I can't have you dying just yet.'

I laughed. 'Worry about yourself, dobe. Try not to piss off Orochimary too much, eh?'

Naruto turned back in the direction of Konoha. 'Bye, Granny Tsunade! Don't drink too much!'

_**Somewhere else in Konoha:**_

Tsunade : 'I have the urge to punch Naruto..'

Shizune : '?'

_**Back to the story:**_

So this was it. I was on my own. Heading towards a village to find some crazy killers and _live_ with them. Awesome.

_How am I gonna pretend to be captured?_

**Well, you can't just say 'Hey! Come get me!' cause they'll probably get suspicious. Put up a good fight. Maybe injure one or two of them. Then pretend to slow down and get caught.**

_How do I know they won't just kill me?_

**Because if you show them your strength, chances are that they're gonna take you back to their hideout to see what's up with you.**

_Gotcha._

I walked for about two days, and then I caught sight of the village where I was supposed to look. As I began quickening my pace (I was hungry) I heard rustling in the trees behind me. I pretended not to hear it. _I found one already?! I don't wanna fight them now! I want some ramen! Argh!_

The rustling grew louder, but I could tell that there was only one of them in the trees. He was just making a whole lot of racket. _This can't be an Akatsuki member. They're terrible at hiding!_

I heard an 'oof' from the trees. Whoever it was had just hit their head on a branch. _Okay, I've had enough_.

I spun around and threw several kunai into a tree. A man fell out. 'Hey, why did you do that to Tobi?!'

'What's the matter with you?! If you're gonna follow me, _do it right_! Which means, make sure I can't track your movements, stupid! Geesh, who are you anywa-'

_Oh, you've gotta be kidding me. You have GOT to be kidding me!_

**Nope. Not kidding. He's it.**

The man was wearing a black cloak with red clouds on it. An Akatsuki cloak. I couldn't see his face because it looked like he was wearing a mask that looked like a..a cookie?

I tried not to laugh. 'Uh, hey, what's on your face?'

The man got up and brushed the dust off of his cloak. 'It's Tobi's mask! It's super scary!'

'Yeeeah..Uh, what's your name, huh?'

'My name is Tobi! I'm Akatsuki!'

_And THAT'S what I need to hear._

I jumped into action immediately. I pinned Tobi against a tree and drew a kunai. 'Akatsuki, huh? Looks like they're lowering their standards. Wow. Can't hide, can't track, can't _fight_.'

I was about to bring the kunai down on Tobi's shoulder when a bird flew out of a tree and rammed into me. But it didn't feel like a bird. It was way too heavy to be a bird. That's when I realized it was made of clay. _Clay bird?!_

**This is stupid. They're gonna fight you with a clay bir-**

The bird exploded right next to me. 'WTF?!' I yelled, flying backwards and smacking my head on the ground. 'Th-the bird exploded!'

I heard a voice come from a branch above me. 'Jeez, Tobi! Do you have to get into trouble _everywhere_ you go?!'

_Big mistake, bird man._

He had spoken. Which meant that I could tell where he was. I flipped onto my feet and threw kunai with chakra strings attached into the area where I had heard the voice. I saw another black cloak emerge from the branches just in time to avoid the attack. He - or at least I _thought_ it was a he - had blonde hair that was done up in a half ponytail. 'Hey, girly man!' I yelled. 'Stay still, would you?'

Girly man landed on the ground a couple of feet away from me. He immediately spun around and smacked Tobi on the head. 'Are you stupid, Tobi?! I sent you to get orange juice from the store! _Orange juice_, Tobi! And you find a girl to fight?! She's a strong one, too!'

'Uh..' I said. This wasn't going as I had expected. It was like they were an old married couple. _Is this really Akatsuki?! They suck!_

**Yeah, let's take care of them, please. I'm still hungry.**

I dashed at the girly man while he was distracted, with a knife in my hand. I managed to cut his arm before he turned around and swiped me down onto the ground. I got free and jumped backwards, throwing several knives. Girly man dodged them, but they almost hit Tobi in the process. 'Tobi! _Move_!' yelled girly man.

Then I saw movement in the trees behing Tobi. Another person emerged, and I prepared to attack again. But then the person opened his eyes, and I don't remember much after that. All I remember is seeing two red eyes staring at me from the shadow of the tree, and I was on the ground. I couldn't move. _What is this?!_

I struggled to get free, to no avail. The man stepped from the shadows and looked down at me again. The instant we made eye contact, I was unconscious.


	3. Potted Plants

'Gender, female. Eye color, silver. Hair color, black. Village, Konohagakure.'

I was beginning to recover from the unconsciousness. I could hear voices, which meant that Akatsuki hadn't killed me. 'Nngh.'

Girly man's voice. 'Neh, neh, she's waking up.'

I lay perfectly still for a moment. I needed a plan. _Chi, where are they standing?_

**One of them is directly next to your bed, and there's another one next to the door, but it should be easy to get past him. Wait, someone else just walked in.**

'Kisame, don't touch her,' said a new voice.

'What? Why not? It's not like she can fight. She's still too weak.'

'If you touch her, chances are that she'll kill you. She's banished a demon from her body before.'

Everyone in the room was silent, and I could tell that they were all staring at me. Girly man spoke. 'Are you kidding me? A demon? But how did she get rid of it?'

'I don't know. But it's gone now. I don't see it's presence inside of her anymore.'

**Listen closely. If you act now, you can probably hurt two of them and be okay. Remember, we need them to think that you don't want to be here.**

_Okay. Here goes._

I opened my eyes quickly, not bothering to let them adjust to the lighting. I jumped at the person closest to me, which happened to be a..fish.

I stopped just as I was about to attack and screamed. 'Y-you're a fish!' I yelled, pointing.

The fish looked at me. 'No. My name is Kisame. _I'm not a fish_!'

Well, he sure looked like one. He was blue. He had gills. He was a fricking fish. I sat back down and put my head into my hands. 'It's not even worth fighting you guys. I would be fighting a fish and a girly man.'

The girly man stood up. 'My name is Deidara! Stop calling me girly man!'

'Yeah, yeah, whatever, Deidara,' I said, mumbling. These guys were giving me a headache. 'Hey where's the other guy who was in here?'

'What?' asked Deidara.

'The other guy. I heard another voice. He was standing right over there,' I said, pointing towards where the voice had been coming from.

Kisame looked shocked. 'You knew where he was standing?'

I gave him an impatient look. 'Duh. I tracked his footsteps and voice..'

'Well, that was Itachi. The one who finally knocked you out. Lemme tell ya, it was starting to look pretty dark for me and Tobi,' said Deidara. 'I mean, you're like, 18, and you're stronger than _me_.'

Kisame walked out of the room. 'Feel free to help yourself to the fridge, kunoichi.'

I blinked. 'W-wait. You're just letting me walk around the place? I thought I was a prisoner.'

'Ha! Yeah, okay. You can't get off the grounds, anyway. There's a jutsu set up, so you wouldn't be able to find your way out unless you turned around and came back to the house,' explained Deidara.

'How do you know I won't kill all of you in your sleep?'

He snorted. 'We're not _complete_ idiots, kunoichi. And anyway, you won't get too far without Itachi stopping you.'

Deidara got up to follow Kisame out of the room. 'W-wait! Why are you keeping me here? Why not just kill me?'

'Because, truthfully, we're not strong enough to kill you. And if you're stronger than most Akatsuki members, you're worth watching for a little while. There's a training ground out back if you want it.'

He left the room. So, there I was. Sitting in an Akatsuki house. And I wasn't even a prisoner. _This is stupid. I coulda saved myself some trouble and just WALKED in. Maybe they'll bake me cookies next. _

**I know what you're saying.**

_I mean, for goodnesss' sake! They're freaking Akatsuki members, and they're acting like it's a sorority house! It's like a hotel!_

**You might as well explore the place if they're not stopping you. But I guarantee they'll be watching. I mean, they've gotta be a LITTLE smart if they haven't been caught yet.**

_Yeah. Whatever. I'm still hungry. Let's go for a fridge raid._

I carefully opened the door to the room and looked left and right before dashing towards the staircase. I stopped halfway down to listen for voices. When I heard nothing, I jumped down the rest of the steps and quickly spotted the kitchen. I was almost to the doorway when someone hopped out from behind a potted plant. 'Hey! You're the girl who tried to kill Tobi! Why is there a girl in the house?'

'Why were you hiding behind a potted plant?!' I screamed, trying to steady my heart. 'Are you retarded?!'

Tobi giggled. 'Tobi wanted to surprise you! Surprise!'

Deidara walked out of the kitchen and saw me clutching my heart and Tobi dancing next to the potted plant. 'Ugh, sorry about that. He likes to hide behind plants..'

_Dear heavens. An Akatsuki member just apologize to m- Do you smell that!?_

**I don't believe this. It can't be.**

_But it is. This is getting stupider and stupider. I'm almost scared to go look_.

But I did. I walked to the kitchen doorway and peered in. I gasped and nearly fell to the floor. Kisame was baking cookies.

In case some of you are a bit slow, lemme say that again :

Kisame. was. baking. cookies.

'F-fishy-san is baking cookies!'

I ran out of the kitchen and directly back up into the room where I woke up. I slammed the door and ran for the bed, hiding underneath the covers. 'What is _wrong_ with this place?! Am I dreaming?! Is that it?!'

'That's not it.'

I nearly jumped out of my skin. I poked my head out from beneath the covers, but I didn't see anyone in the room. 'Oh no. Girly men, cookies, fish, people with cookie masks..Anything else, world?! Now you're making me hear people who aren't there?!'

'I'm here. And you've just interrupted my nap.'

_Oh no. Is the voice coming from.._

**The bed.**

I jumped out of the bed and threw back the covers, exposing a guy who looked exactly like Sasuke, except with longer hair. I immediately knew who it was. 'I-itachi Uchiha?!'

He sighed. 'Obviously. And stop freaking out about the house. Just because we are criminals, doesn't mean we're not human. It just so happens that Kisame likes to bake, Deidara likes his hair, and Tobi likes his plants.'

I backed away slowly and opened the door, slipping into the hallway. I slammed the door and put my back against it. _There's nowhere to hide. Oh gosh, I wish Tsunade sent me to the Sound village. That would be easier than this place_.

Peering down the staircase again, I determined that no one was in the kitchen or hall. So I slipped into the kitchen and immediately spotted some chocolate chip cookies. They made my mouth water. I glanced around. There was no one in sight. I hopped onto a chair and took a cookie. _They don't smell poisoned._

**A cookie's a cookie. I say, eat it!**

_Thanks, you're the responsible one_.

I ate the cookie. It was delicious. _Wow. Akatsuki members are good bakers, I guess._

I was about to take another cookie when I realized that I was being watched. I looked around. No people in the room. But then I looked up. Right up into Deidara's grinning face. 'Hi!'

The cookie fell from my hand. 'H-hi?'

He jumped down from the ceiling and sat next to me. 'See? You're already getting used to us. I see you like Kisame's cookies. He's a pretty good cook, and he makes everything for dinner. But don't expect any fish recipes. He doesn't like those much..'

_I wonder why._

'Well, we never got really introduced to each other. So, hi, I'm Deidara.'

I stared at him for a second. 'Uh, hey. I'm Kikyo.'

'Great, now we're friends!'

_Friends? I never knew you could be friends with a professional killer._

'Anyways, it's getting late, so you should go to sleep. I'll show you to your room so you don't walk into Itachi's again.'

'Oh thank- WAIT YOU WERE WATCHING?!'

'Yeah, I was going to see if Itachi wanted some cookies, but then I saw that, and it was too priceless to let go.'

He took my hand and led me up the stairs and into the room across the hall from Itachi's. As soon as Deidara left the room, I collapsed onto the bed. _This day has been too weird. I'm now 'friends' with an Akatsuki member, I learned that they like to bake and hide behind plants, but I still don't know anything about Sasuke._

**Earn their trust first. Then ask about Sasuke. We don't want to jeopardize our position.**

_You're right._

As I lay there, staring at the ceiling, I tried and tried to be worried. But I couldn't. There was something about this place that just seemed..welcoming.

_Hn. Maybe I could get used to these guys._


	4. They're Human

**Alrighty. So, I'm starting another fanfic, and everything would be okay...except for the fact that I have no clue what to write about. Which is where you guys come in!**

**Any suggestions, and I mean ANY suggestions are wholeheartedly welcome. I'm looking to focus the fanfic on Fruits Basket or Naruto, I just don't know where to begin!**

**Also, I'm kinda depressed with the number of reviews. thatrandomkid, you're awesome for supporting me, so you get a shout out.**

**SHOUTING OUT TO THATRANDOMKID.**

**But guys! Tell your friends about me, and REVIEW, chickydoodles!**

* * *

I yawned and rolled over, preparing myself for the intense sunlight in my room. But when I opened my eyes, it was a comfortable twilight. Nothing that could hurt my eyes too much. I blinked and looked around the room, suddenly remembering where I was. _Akatsuki._

Getting up, I quickly found my bathroom and took a shower. But as I turned off the water, I heard voices coming from my room. I listened at the door. 'She's kinda cute, un?'

I felt myself turning red. _Girly man thinks I'm cute?!_

'She's okay for a human.'

_Okay for a human?! Hey! I think I'm pretty good looking!_

**Oh, stop it. At least Deidara thinks you're cute.**

_Oh, whoopie._

'Why do you think she came looking for us?'

Kisame sighed. 'For the same reason they send the rest of the Konoha ninja. To finish us off. I guess they got smart this time and sent someone who could actually get the job done. That's why we have to watch her. We don't know when she's gonna put her plan into action.'

'Un. I think I left my toothbrush in her bathroom from a couple of days ago..'

I heard footsteps coming towards the bathroom door, and I knew they were too light to be Kisame's. _What is Deidara doing?!_

I tried to back away from the door, but my towel was caught on the edge of the tile, so I couldn't move without the towel dropping, and Deidara was getting closer to the door. That's when I realized the stupid mistake I had made. _I forgot to lock the bathroom door, didn't I?_

**Yep. You really gotta learn how to lock things. Your house, your fridge, your bathroom.**

The door flew open, and Deidara's face was shoved into the bathroom. 'Oh no.'

He stared at me for a good three minutes, with Kisame laughing hysterically in the background. I was standing there with nothing but a towel on, and Deidara was turning a quick shade of scarlet. _Nooooooooo!_

**Pfffahahahahahaah! Yeeeeees! This is like cable!**

'D-deidara-san. G-get out!' I said, throwing a toothbrush at his head.

He stared for a second longer. 'What?! Oh! Yeah, un! Um, uh..Er, breakfast is ready!'

He slammed the door and I heard him run from my room, with Kisame following a couple of seconds later, still laughing. I shakily sat down on the floor of the bathroom and stared at the shut door for a couple of minutes. _Perverts. It's like being in a house full of Kakashi's._

I got up off the floor and got dressed faster than I ever had in my entire life. They had put some clothes on my bed, which actually looked pretty good. _I guess I better thank them for the clothes._

**Yeah, who knew that murderers had a fashion sense.**

I opened the door to my room and snuck down the hallway towards the stairs. I heard voices in the kitchen, so they were probably having breakfast. I heard Kisame yelling.

'Tobi! No! We don't eat until everyone is at the table!'

'But everyone _is_ here!' whined Tobi. 'Look! Itachi-nii-san, Deidara-sempai, and Tobi!'

'No, you idiot! Wait until the kunoichi gets here! She's human too, in case you didn't notice!'

_They're waiting for me? Why should they care if I eat or not?_

**Who cares. Breakfast smells good, and I'm hungry. Now move your tushie down the stairs before I make you fall.**

_Alright, alright! Geez, you're cranky when you're hungry.._

The second I was at the bottom of the stairs, somebody grabbed me from behind and carried me into the kitchen, setting me down in a chair in between Tobi and Deidara. I looked up and Itachi looked down at me. 'Sorry. I had to make Tobi stop whining. Eat up, kunoichi.'

I stared at my food for a couple of seconds. Kisame looked at me with a strange look. 'You don't like eggs? I can make pancakes if you want..'

'My name is Kikyo,' I said quietly. 'Thanks for the clothes..and the food..'

Kisame smiled. 'Ah, you like the clothes? I picked them out!'

'Oh, uh, thanks..'

I guess Deidara couldn't hold himself back anymore. He stood up quickly, sending his chair flying across the room. 'I'M SORRY!'

'I, what, uh, what?' I said, sounding stupider than I had intended.

Deidara looked down at me with his face turning redder and redder. 'I'm sorry I walked into the bathroom, yeah!'

Tobi laughed. 'You did what?! Ahahaha! Sempai is an idiot!'

'Tobi, watch yourself, un,' said Deidara threateningly.

I stared up at Deidara for a couple of seconds. 'Oh, it's uh, okay, I guess..It was kinda my fault for not locking the door..'

But by now I could hardly take it anymore. As I watched the Akatsuki members laughing and talking with each other, my confusion just grew and grew. Finally, I whispered, 'Why?'

Everyone at the table went quiet. Itachi looked across the table at me. 'Why, what, kunoichi?'

'Why are you being nice to me,' I said. 'You're murderers. Killers. You hurt people. And here you are, eating around a table and laughing and being _happy_. And you're treating me like I'm nothing more than a guest instead of a prisoner.'

'Because you used to be like us,' said Itachi. 'You used to kill, also, didn't you?'

I was shocked. 'The demon wasn't in my control.'

'But you eventually controlled it. You controlled the urge to kill those who you loved, in the end, right? You did what the rest of us couldn't.'

'Is that why?' I said. 'Because I'm emotionally stronger than the rest of you?!'

'Are you saying that just because we've made mistakes in our lifetime, we can't still be human? We can't be happy like anyone else? We don't deserve happiness? We cannot have hearts and care about people?'

This silenced me. Itachi pushed the plate of food towards me. 'You need to think about these things, kunoichi. There is good in everybody. Even us.'

I stared at the food again, and then began to eat. _He's right_._ I don't know them. They can still be good people._

Kisame laughed. 'Wow, Itachi! You have a way with the kid!'

I was done with my food in less than five minutes. Tobi wouldn't stop staring. Deidara reached around me and slapped Tobi. 'Cut it out, yeah? You're making her nervous.'

'B-but Tobi's never seen anyone eat that fast!'

Deidara gave me a funny look. 'I don't know what they feed you in Konoha, but it's probably nothing compared to fishy-chan's cooking.'

'Speaking of Konoha, how is my brother?' asked Itachi. There was silence again as my fork clattered to the floor. 'Is something wrong?'

'Sasuke's gone,' I said blankly.

Itachi's eyebrow raised. 'Gone?'

'Gone. Taken. Kidnapped. Maybe dead.'

Now Itachi's face grew serious. 'Who took him?'

_You should know._

**Don't be unfair. We don't know if Akatsuki took Sasuke.**

I picked up my fork. 'Nobody knows.'

'Ah, I understand now,' said Kisame. 'You weren't sent here to kill us. You were sent here to find out if we took Sasuke.'

Deidara laughed. 'That's it? You coulda just walked up to the front door and _asked_ us, yeah!'

'This is troubling,' said Itachi, rising from the table. 'Did you talk with anyone who was close to my brother before you left Konoha?'

'_I_ was close to your brother. He was my first friend when I joined the Konoha shinobi.'

Itachi looked at me. 'Sasuke has friends?'

I nodded. 'Yeah, hard to believe.'

'This _is_ troubling. I'll be back in a couple of hours.'

'But you're gonna miss lunch!' said Kisame.

'Tobi will eat Itachi-nii's lunch!' yelled Tobi.

'See? Problem solved.'

And Itachi walked out of the house and into the surrounding woods. 'Ah, the mysterious Itachi walks out again. I'm beginning to wonder if he can even be _capable_ of smiling, un.'

Kisame began to clear the table. 'Deidara, take Tobi out back and train with him for a couple of hours. I don't want him in the house..'

'Tsk, I don't see why I have to be his caretaker..'

'Uh, I'll come too,' I said. 'Training sounds like a good idea.'

'Yay! Kikyo-nee-chan is coming to train with us!' yelled Tobi.

Deidara grabbed him by the collar of his cloak and dragged Tobi outside. 'Ugh, watch out. He's already attached to you. Tobi, go hit some targets. And try to avoid the squirrels this time, eh?'

Tobi ran into the training grounds and began throwing kunai at random spots. _I'm not so sure I wanna go in there while Tobi's 'training'._

**I agree. There's something wrong with that guy.**

_I think he's just a bit..excited.._

**More like he has ADHD..**

_Eh, he's harmless._

I was so caught up in talking to Chi that I hadn't noticed that I was now sitting on a rock next to Deidara. He was staring at me. 'You space out alot, un. Like, you'll be sitting there and you'll just start staring at nothing. Like you're talking to yourself, yeah.'

My face turned a shade of pink. 'I have a little person in my head..'

Silence.

Deidara blinked a couple of times. 'Little person?'

'Yeah, her name is Chi. She, uh..talks to me.'

There was silence for a couple of minutes as Deidara just stared at me. Then he blinked again and burst out laughing. I turned bright red.

He noticed and tried to stop laughing. 'N-no, un! It's not y-you! It's just..pfffhah!...it's just, y-you're exactly like Itachi!'

'Whuh?' I asked.

Deidara calmed down a little. 'Y-yeah, pffaaha! Itachi sits down and stares at nothing, just like you! And when we ask him what he's doing, he says he's "consulting his conscience". Which is code for : talking to himself!'

Somebody coughed behind us. Deidara's eyes became wide and so did mine. We both knew who was standing there. Deidara plastered on a smile and turned slowly. 'I-itachi! I t-thought you were gonna be gone for a couple of _hours_!'

'I came back early,' said Itachi, walking to stand in front of Deidara. 'Go inside. I have to speak with Kikyo.'

Deidara wasted no time. He got up and dashed into the house. Itachi took his place on the rock. 'The Akatsuki has given me permission to use my group to help free Sasuke.'

'W-what?!'

'I just went to see the leader. He has given me permission. As soon as we find out where Sasuke is, we're going to free him.'

I didn't know what to say. 'I..You can't do it alone. Even _with_ your group, you can't free Sasuke alone.'

'So what do you propose, kunoichi?'

'I'll ask Tsunade to back us up. She'll agree if I tell her what's going on. She'll help.'

'Very well, kunoichi.'

But there was one question that had been burning in my mind ever since I had learned about my mission. 'Uh..Itachi-san?'

'Hm?'

'D-do you regret it?'

'Regret what, kunoichi?'

'What you did..You killed your entire family..'

He was silent for a few seconds. I was scared that maybe I had crossed the line with that question. Then he looked at me and gave me a sad smile. 'You know, I ask myself that same question every day. Do I regret what I did? Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. But regret is not important. There's no way to go back and undo what you've done. Which is why I need Sasuke alive. He needs to make up for what I've done. He can make it better.'

'How?'

'Sometimes the only way to fix a mistake is to erase it from history. And in this case, _I_ am the mistake. I don't want Sasuke to grow like I did. To grow up thinking that there's nothing else but killing.'

_So..He's gonna let Sasuke kill him. That's why he wants to save him._

We sat in silence for a couple of minutes, watching Tobi run after squirrels. Then Itachi coughed. 'Uh..You..have a little person, as well?'

I was shocked. 'Y-yeah..'

There were some weird noises coming from Itachi. At first I thought he was choking on something, but then I realized..he was _laughing_. At me!

_Why does everyone think I'm so funny!?_

**Because you talk to yourself, stupid.**

_Shut up!_

Itachi looked at me, tears filling his eyes. They were tears of laughter. He couldn't even talk. I stood up. 'Why are you laughing, Uchiha?! You have a little person too!'

'Y-yes, but..I d-don't know! It's just funny!'

'OHMYGOSH! KISAME, COME QUICK, UN!' yelled Deidara, pointing from the window. 'ITACHI'S LAUGHING. HOLY CRAP. COME HERE, NOW!'

Kisame appeared at the window. 'Wow. This kunoichi is something, all right. To make _Itachi_ laugh.'

And as I watched Tobi chase squirrels, and Deidara panic from the window, and Itachi _laugh_, I realized what had been there all along.

They actually _were_ human.


	5. Trouble in the Sound

**_THREE WEEKS LATER_**

'Breakfast!' yelled Kisame from the kitchen.

There was a stampede as I tried to get to the kitchen before Deidara and Tobi. I guess they had the same idea, cause we ended up stuck in the doorway to the kitchen. Deidara tossed Tobi across the room. 'Me first, yeah!'

I reached up to kick him back into the other room. 'No! You always take all of the bacon! Me first!'

'Fine, un! How about a fight to the death in checkers! Then we'll see who gets the bacon, yeah!'

Itachi walked into the kitchen and grabbed me by the collar of my shirt, putting me down in my chair at the table. He turned to Deidara and pointed at his chair. Deidara sat down immediately, glaring daggers across the table at me. Then Itachi sat down and divided the bacon between me and Deidara equally. 'Yeah, or we could do that..' I grumbled, picking up the orange juice. 'Tobi! Get your hyper butt in here!'

Tobi came scrambling through the door. 'Kikyo-nee-chan, where's Tobi's action figures?'

'They're in the closet next to the front door. Seriously, Tobi. Playing with those dolls isn't healthy...I mean..You're like, twenty-something, right?'

'They're not dolls! They're super cool actiony action figures!'

'Shaped like barbies?' asked Kisame, raising an eyebrow.

But Tobi was already gone, searching for his beloved 'action figures'.

As always, I practically sucked down my food and ran for the tv. That was the rule. First one done was the remote controller. Awesome.

But, unfortunately, there was a non-awesome part. Because the Akatsuki house was protected by a jutsu, the satellite tv was all screwy. In other words, we only got about three clear channels. And they were all 'educational channels'.

Tobi liked them.

But that might have been because Tobi had the attention span of a six year old and the mind of an infant.

But as I watched a documentary on the lifespan of a house cat, I felt Chi growing restless in my mind. _Can you stop fidgeting! I'm trying to learn about cats!_

**Someone's coming.**

_That's impossible. There's a jutsu around the house. No one can find us._

**Exactly.**

_Fine. I'll go check, but there's not gonna be anything there._

I walked to the front door, trying not to step on Tobi's dolls. I swung open the front door and stepped outside into the dirt yard. There was nothing there except for a potted plant sitting right in the middle of the yard, a little bit in front of the trees leading into the forest.

'Tobi! You left one of your potted plants in the yard! The birds are gonna get it!'

But then I looked closer. The plant was wearing an Akatsuki cloak. I groaned. 'And you left your cloak on the plant! It's gonna get dirty, and _I'm_ gonna have to clean it later!'

Tobi didn't come. _Ugh, where is he?! Nevermind. I'll just bring in the stupid plant myself.._

But as I walked closer to the plant, it seemed to get bigger and bigger. _Man, how did Tobi get this huge plant all the way out here? Maybe he's stronger than I thought!_

I stopped right in front of the plant to figure out how exactly I was gonna carry it into the house without falling on my face. I turned my back to the plant as I studied the house and the doorway. _Hmm. I figure I can probably fit the plant in if it's absolutely straight.._

**Turn around!**

Drawing a knife from the pouch at my side, I spun around, ready for a fight. But all I saw was the plant. _Chi. It's a plant. Calm down._

**N-no! I swear, the plant was about to eat you!**

_Um, suure. Okay. Maybe you need some rest.._

I turned around again to try and get a rough measurement of the doorframe. All of a sudden, the front door came flying open, and Kisame flew out of the door. 'Zetsu, no! Not her!'

_Wha..?_

**Plant attack! It's a living plant!**

_Uh, plants are generally alive, Chi._

**No! It grew arms! I sweaaar!**

Kisame came dashing across the sandy yard and pushed me behind him and began yelling at the plant. 'Zetsu! Not her! She's okay! Ugh, Deidara!'

The front door opened again and Deidara stepped out, followed by Itachi. Deidara's waved to the plant. 'Hey, Zetsu!'

_They're talking to the plant..._

Deidara rushed past me and started talking excitedly to the plant. The plant stood there. It didn't talk back. Because it was a plant.

Itachi walked up, and I expected him to put an end to this madness.

So imagine my surprise when he actually _smiled_ to the plant and politely said hello.

_No! Not Itachi too! I'm starting to think that maybe Tobi's NORMAL right now!_

'Um..'

Everyone was still talking to the plant. 'Er..'

No one turned around. 'Hellooo?'

Still no response.

I sighed. 'Hey! Shut up and listen!'

Everyone stopped and stared at me. _Maybe I overdid it.._

'What's up, Kikyo?' asked Deidara, still facing the plant.

'Deidara. You're talking to a plant. Plants don't talk back.'

Itachi looked at me. 'Oh, we did not explain, did we? This is not a plant. This is Zetsu.'

I looked at the plant. 'I don't know. It looks pretty...plant-like to me.'

'No, no, they are correct, I am a person.'

The potted plant suddenly grew arms and legs and stood up. A head emerged from between the leaves of a venus flytrap. One half of the head was white, and the other half was black. The white half was speaking. 'Hello!'

I became lightheaded. _T-that's a plant. And it's...talking to me.._

**I told you! I told you it was alive!**

The black half of the head scowled. 'Don't be so polite to an outsider, idiot! She might be here to kill you!'

The white half. 'No, she looks nice. Itachi, is she nice?'

Itachi looked at me for a couple of seconds. 'Generally. Just don't take her bacon,' he said.

The plant held out a hand towards me. The white half smiled. 'My name is Zetsu. It is a pleasure to meet you.'

'Uh, I'm Kikyo. Great to meet you too,' I said slowly.

'Oy, the brat's still following us,' said the black side of Zetsu's face.

'Oh dear, we'll have to kill her,' said the white side.

Itachi raised an eyebrow. 'Kill who?'

'There's been a pink-haired kunoichi following us for quite some time now..I'm afraid she may have gotten through the protective jutsu as well..'

My heart began to race. _Pink-haired kunoichi?_

**It's gotta be Sakura.**

'No!' I yelled, stepping forward. Deidara put out his hand to stop me.

'Let Zetsu take care of it.'

'No, you don't understand! It's Sakura! Don't kill her!'

'A friend of yours?' asked Itachi. I nodded frantically. Itachi thought for a moment before turning to face the edge of the forest. 'Okay, kunoichi! You may come out now, if Kikyo says you are a friend.'

I saw a rustling in the bush directly behind Kisame, causing him to squeak and hop away. A moment later, I saw Sakura emerge from the bush, holding a kunai in her shaking hand. Her eyes darted around the yard to each Akatsuki member, hovering slightly when she saw Itachi, but soon moving on. She relaxed a little when she saw me standing next to him. 'K-kii-chan?' she asked, her voice trembling.

'Sakura-chan!' I yelled, running forward to embrace her. As I hugged her, I whispered into her ear. 'Don't be afraid of them, Sakura. They're friends. They're going to help us get Sasuke back.'

'But they're Akatsuki,' she whispered back. 'How do you know they won't kill us?'

'I've lived here for a month. They're okay.'

With that, I pulled away and took Sakura by the hand, leading her over to where the rest of the Akatsuki stood. I introduced her. 'Guys, this is Sakura. She's from Konoha, one of my best friends. Sakura, that's Deidara, Kisame, Itachi, and I just met Zetsu-san.'

I looked around the yard. 'Where the heck is Tobi?'

Deidara shrugged. 'I don't know, un. He's been missing since breakfast.'

'Er, I saw someone running through the forest back there,' said Sakura, pointing towards the trees. 'They were moving really quietly, though, so I didn't really know they were there until I saw them.'

'Can't be Tobi, then, yeah,' said Deidara. 'He moves like a bear through these trees, un.'

I turned to Sakura. 'Why did you come here?'

She hesitated.

I immediately knew something was wrong.

'Sakura-chan,' I said slowly. 'Why did you come here?'

'I..I have news from the Sound Village..from Naruto..'

I stared at her as my heart sank. I didn't like the way she said Naruto's name. 'D-did something happen to him?'

Sakura's eyes began to fill with tears. 'Kikyo-chan, I'm so sorry.'

'Sakura, what happened to Naruto,' I said, trying to keep my voice firm.

But Sakura couldn't answer. She could only stare at me with tears in her eyes. I looked around hastily at the others. I saw Itachi whisper something to Zetsu and both of them disappeared into the house. I swallowed my fear and raised my voice. 'Sakura, what happened to Naruto.'

**Kikyo..**

_Shut up._

**Don't make her say it if it hurts her. You know what happened.**

_Shut up!_

**You knew from the moment that we left the village that he was going to get into trouble.**

_Shut up, shut up, shut up!_

**This is what happens, Kikyo. I know it hurts to lose someone else, but..**

_I said, shut up! Just shut up! He's not dead, shut up!_

Chi fell silent. I felt tears coming to my eyes, but I held them back. I didn't want to cry. Not here. I walked towards Sakura and grabbed her by the shoulders. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Deidara and Kisame fidget uncomfortably. They knew they were going to have to hold me back. 'Sakura! Tell me right now! _What happened to Naruto?!_'

But she wouldn't answer. By now, she was sobbing lightly, the tears flowing down her face freely. The anger and sadness welled up inside of me and I slapped Sakura across the face, sending her reeling to the ground. 'Tell me! Tell me right now!'

Deidara came up behind me and close his arms around me, keeping me from moving towards Sakura. I began to scream, the anger pouring out of me. 'Tell me, Sakura! Tell me now! What happened to him?! Tell me!'

'Shh, Kikyo. Calm down,' whispered Deidara, struggling to keep me from beating Sakura. His grip was strong, and in my confusion, I couldn't summon enough strength to break away from him.

'No!' I screamed, my voice dripping with despair. 'How do you know what it feels like to lose the one person you love?!'

'H-he's n-n-not d-dead y-yet,' croaked Sakura, recovering from the blow across the face.

'Not dead _yet_?!' I yelled, fighting even more violently to get through Deidara's grasp.

'N-no,' said Sakura, trying to raise herself off of the ground. Kisame appeared at her side and offered a hand. She took it gratefully and steadied herself on her feet. Then she looked at me, the tears still pouring down her cheeks. 'B-but there's n-no hope to s-save him. Orochimaru c-caught him and h-he was t-tortured. H-he managed to s-sneak out of his c-cell one night and s-send a m-message to K-konoha, saying what h-happened. H-he's dying, K-kikyo.'

'Shut up!' I screamed. 'He won't die! He can't die! I won't let him!'

Deidara tightened his hold. 'Kikyo..'

'No! No! I won't let anyone else die! No!'

That was when I felt it. It was the same feeling that I had felt a year before. The feeling that something was trying to break out of me, trying to take over. With a sudden burst of strength, I pushed Deidara backwards, finally breaking free. I made a beeline for Sakura, already gathering chakra in my hand.

As I jumped to hit her again, I felt someone grab my leg from behind and pull me backwards. Someone else was holding me back. 'Let me go!' I screamed, the anger building up so much that I could hardly bear it. Itachi pulled me towards him, spinning me around so that I could face him.

'Look at me, Kikyo.'

I shut my eyes tightly. I would not look at Itachi. I would not let his eyes knock me unconscious. Itachi sighed. 'Deidara, come here and help me.'

I heard Deidara approach cautiously. I felt his hands take mine and squeeze them. That was all it took. The squeeze to my hands was reassuring, and for a moment, I forgot where I was, and my anger dwindled down to nothing. I opened my eyes with a shocked expression and immediately, the anger returned. But it was too late. Itachi was already making eye contact with me, and I could feel myself slipping from the grasp of consciousness. I tried to fight, but I didn't have enough strength. The anger was burning stronger than ever, and it was growing, with me knowing that I would not be able to satisfy my anger and hurt someone.

I tried to scream, but all that came out were mumbles. The last thing I remember is staring into Itachi's eyes and hearing him whisper reassuringly. 'Sleep now, kunoichi. I promise everything will be fine.'

With that, I felt myself lose all sense of reality and sink beneath the waves of darkness and tranquility.


	6. True Personalities

**Summer is here! Which means high school finals...but other than that, life is good!**

**I'm still looking for suggestions for my next fanfic.**

**And I'm serious. ANYTHING is welcomed.**

**If no one gives me ideas, I'm gonna have to resort to the dreaded...FORUMS!**

**And gosh, those things scare me sometimes.**

* * *

I woke up with a start, nearly banging my head into the window sill.

'Take it easy, un.'

I looked towards the door to see Deidara creeping into the room. 'Even without a demon, you're pretty strong, yeah. Nearly tore my arms off.'

'Sorry..' I whispered, staring out of the window.

'Your friend is still here,' he continued. 'Her and Itachi are planning how they're gonna save Sasuke and your...your boyfriend.' He said the last part with a sort of malice.

I was immediately alert. 'Did you say Sasuke?'

'Yeah, un. It turns out that Naruto found out that Orochimaru took Sasuke, and that's when he was captured.'

I didn't even think. I jumped out of bed and steadied myself for a moment. I was still a bit dizzy from Itachi's Sharingan. Even though some of the room was spinning, I pushed past Deidara and towards the door. He grabbed my arm and held me back. 'You're still too weak, un. You need to lay down some more.'

'No. I need to go. I need to...I need to apologize to Sakura..and save Naruto and Sasuke...and...'

Deidara sighed and shook his head. 'You've got too much on your mind, Kikyo. Come on, just go back to bed..'

**Listen to him, Kikyo.**

_No! I need to do things!_

**But not now. Now you need to recover.**

I blocked out Chi's voice.

Deidara tried to walk me back to the bed, but I wrenched my arm away and felt the anger returning. 'No! I couldn't protect them, so now it's up to me to save them! You wouldn't know what it's like! These are the only people who have ever loved me! They saw beyond the demon and saw only me. I won't let them die!'

I guess Deidara finally gave up on trying to stop me, because as I walked out the door, he didn't pull me back. I stopped at the top of the staircase and listened. I heard Itachi talking. 'How can you guarantee that the Sound shinobi will not be waiting when we arrive?'

'I can't guarantee that. But it's a chance we're going to have to take. Besides, they have no clue that Naruto was able to send a message to Konoha,' answered Sakura.

As soon as I put my first foot on the stairs, Itachi fell silent, and Sakura did the same. When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I found both of them staring at me. Sakura had a large red mark across the side of her face, from where I had hit her. The mark looked like it had been bleeding. Itachi got up. 'Are you feeling better, Kikyo?'

I nodded and went to sit down in one of the comfortable chairs in the living room. Sakura followed me with her eyes. I finally looked up and made eye contact with her. 'I'm sorry,' I said. 'I don't know what happened..I..I lost it..'

'It is not your fault,' said Itachi. 'Sakura and I have discovered some...disturbing information.'

This peaked my curiosity. I listened as Itachi continued. 'As you know, Akatsuki is largely dedicated to extracting the tailed beasts from their human hosts. Because of this, we have many detailed books about demons and malicious spirits. We found something about...about _your_ kind of demon.'

'_My_ kind of demon? You're talking about it like it's still here.'

'Well...it is. In a way. The actual presence has been terminated from your body and mind, but the power and instinct of the demon is still present within you.'

'But Hyako's gone.'

'Yes, she is gone. You cannot communicate with her any longer. But in order to banish a demon, you have to strip it of all it's power. That power must go somewhere else, and in _your_ case, it decided to stay with you.'

'But,' I said. 'How do you know? I'm naturally one of the strongest in Konoha. That was my actual strength.'

'Your eyes,' whispered Sakura, still staring at me. 'They were the same color as a year ago. The color of blood.'

**So THAT'S why we didn't know. When Hyako was here, I could sense her presence in another part of your mind, but now it's empty except for me. Only her power is left, and I can't sense that.**

'So now what?' I asked.

Sakura paced the room. 'You'll just have to be a little more careful about your temper. It should be fine unless you _really_ lose it.'

I nodded silently. Sakura put her hand on my shoulder. 'It doesn't hurt. I healed myself, so I'm fine now. Don't worry about it.'

'Kikyo, you need to return to Konoha right away,' said Itachi. 'We will need your Hokage's help if we are to save Sasuke and Naruto. Also...Tobi is gone. Kisame has been out searching for him, with no luck.'

Deidara walked out of the shadows of the staircase and snorted. 'You can't really think that Tobi has something to do with this, un. He's too stupid.'

'Or too clever. Why would he run away at the precise moment when Sakura was coming to tell me about the Sound shinobi? It's too much to be a coincidence.'

Sakura gasped. 'We need to go, Kii-chan. Now.'

I looked at her strangely. 'Why?'

'Tobi is going to tell Orochimaru that we're coming. There's no doubt about it now.'

_She's right. Everything points to Tobi._

**I guess he's not as harmless as we thought.**

_Just more lies to live with, I guess._

Zetsu entered the room, followed by Kisame. 'How do we know that the two kunoichis will return?' asked the black part of Zetsu.

'They will return,' said Itachi. 'I trust Kikyo more than I've trusted anyone in a long time. But, if you are still doubtful, I will send Deidara to go with them.'

Zetsu was silent, which Itachi took as an agreement. Sakura turned to leave the room and gather some supplies for the trip back to Konoha. I moved to walk after her, but stopped when I heard Zetsu whispering to Itachi. 'You shouldn't send Deidara. You know he's...attracted to her.'

'Which is why I'm sending him. He'll make sure no one harms them on the way back.'

They fell silent, and I realized that I had been standing in one spot for too long. I pretended to adjust the band on my arm, but I flicked my eyes rapidly towards Itachi, just long enough to see him looking at me. I knew what that meant. _I'll just stay away from Deidara._

**You can't just stay away from him. He's taking you and Sakura back to Konoha, stupid.**

_I'll ignore him. I have no problems controlling my emotions on the outside. I'll be fine._

**He's your friend, Kikyo..**

_I know...but I can't let him think that there can be anything between us. Ever._

Kisame poked me on the shoulder and whispered, 'You're spacing out again. And I need to get into the kitchen to make dinner. Scoot, scoot.'

I grunted and moved aside, following Sakura into the supplies closet and closed the door behind me. But I was so spaced out that I didn't realize that the room wasn't the supplies closet. It was just a closet. And Deidara was already in there. He blinked. 'Did you just close the door, un?'

'Sorry, I walked into the wrong closet...'

'Did you close the door?'

'Uh, yeah...'

'You know it locks from the outside when you close it, right, un?'

'What...? No it doesn't...'

I walked to the door and tried to open it, to no avail. I jiggled the doorknob. It stayed closed. I pulled the doorknob using some force. Stayed closed. I punched the door. Closed.

I was about to go all out and start hacking away with some kunai, but Deidara put a hand on my shoulder, a scared look in his eyes. 'No! Noooo! Not necessary, un! I don't wanna die cause you're trying to open a door!'

He went to the door and listened. 'We'll just have to wait until someone walks past the door, un.'

'Whatever,' I said, sitting down in a corner. 'I need to get out. I need to save my friends...'

Deidara sighed and sat down across from me. 'Why do you care so much?'

'It's none of your business.'

'You love him, don't you?'

I glared at Deidara. 'Love who?'

'Naruto. I could tell by your reaction when you thought he was dead. You love him, right?'

'Maybe.'

'This _is_ a dilemma, un. You know that Akatsuki extracts the tailed beasts, correct?'

I got up and moved to another spot. 'Yeah, what about it.'

'Naruto has a tailed beast. Eventually, we're gonna have to go after him, no matter how long we put it off. And...I've been assigned to take care of the Kyuubi.'

This made me angry.

**Calm down...**

_He just admitted that eventually he's gonna kill Naruto!_

'So, this is who you really are, huh?'

'What?' asked Deidara.

'Now I see why you're here. In Akatsuki. You don't care about anyone else but yourself. You would completely ignore the fact that I'm your friend, and you would kill Naruto.'

Deidara opened his mouth to defend himself. I held up a hand to stop him, the anger building up. 'Don't bother explaining. Lemme guess. The mission comes before everything else right? Even friendships. Well, lemme tell you something. I don't care _what_ the mission is. If it's going to hurt people that I love, I would _never_ do it.'

I walked towards the door and gathered chakra in my foot, kicking the closet door straight off the hinges. As I stepped over the mangled door, I gave one final glare back at Deidara. 'But I guess murderers don't think the same way.'

Not waiting for an answer, I walked down the hall and back into the living room, where I was greeted by the shocked faces of Itachi and Kisame. Itachi stepped forward. 'What's wrong? Your chakra is...angry.'

'You will _not_ send Deidara with us back to Konoha. I don't care how much he "cares for me". And when it comes time to save Naruto and Sasuke, he will _not_ be joining us on the rescue. I want him _nowhere_ near Naruto. Do you understand me?'

Kisame stepped forward. 'Kikyo, please, what's going on-'

'No. I don't have time. Sakura!'

Sakura stepped out of the kitchen, closing her travel bag. 'What's wrong?'

'We're leaving, now.'

She looked shocked. 'Okay, lemme just go say goodbye to Deidara-san...'

The anger flared inside of me. 'I said NOW, Sakura! Don't you DARE go near him! Let's go!'

Sakura did not dare to contradict me again. She nodded and put the bag over her shoulder, nodding goodbye to Itachi and Kisame. Then she walked out of the front door and waited for me. I turned to Itachi. 'We'll come back when we talk to Tsunade. Bye.'

I started for the door, but Itachi caught me by the arm. 'Kikyo...You should never leave a household without saying goodbye to everyone. You never know when's the last time you're gonna see them.'

My gaze was cold. 'I did say goodbye. I said goodbye to you and Kisame, and you can tell Zetsu-san that I said goodbye too. Other than that, I can't think of anyone that I would possibly need to speak with.'

**You're being unreasonable.**

_Shut up. If he's gonna kill Naruto, then he is no friend of mine._

**I know, but...just know that Deidara doesn't have a choice..**

_Of course he has a choice, Chi. Everyone has a choice. Some just don't see it. And we obviously know now that Deidara doesn't value my friendship. So why should I value his?_

I hopped off the porch and walked swiftly past Sakura, jumping into the trees. Itachi had temporarily dropped the genjutsu surrounding the house, long enough for me and Sakura to get out. As we jumped from tree to tree, Sakura said, 'Are you friends with Deidara-san?'

'No. I don't even know him.'


	7. Return of the Amazing Hyuuga

**I am an absolute FIEND with these chapters. I'm just shootin' em out!**

**Okay, so rate and review, you know the deal.**

**Also, come on people!**

**Spread the word! Tell your friends about me! Pweez?**

* * *

It only took us about a day and a half to reach Konoha. I was dead tired, reeeally hungry, and Chi hadn't shut up about how she was losing her concentration from lack of food.

So when we finally caught sight of the Konoha gates, I got a sudden burst of energy. Just behind those gates was a warm bath, lots of food, and a way to save Sasuke and Naruto.

**Hey! We're almost there! Thank goodness! I was beginning to think that maybe I wouldn't be able to go on thanks to YOU, miss I-DON'T-WANT-TO-"WASTE FOOD"-SO-I'M-GONNA-MAKE-CHI-STARVE!**

_Would you stop your whining! You're not even human! You don't eat! If anyone should be complaining right now, it should be ME! I'm the one who had to use MY BODY to dash from one country to another in less than two days!_

**Now who's complaining...Hey, what's that?**

_Hn? What?_

**In the tree next to the West Gate. What is it? Looks like a person...**

I glanced in the direction of the West Gate and quickly spotted a person standing in a tree, staring down at the village. _Weird...You think they're a threat?_

**I don't think so. Look a little closer, I wanna see who it is.**

_Nosy. I'm not gonna go close to them! They might be an enemy! And I'm in no condition to fight anyone right now!_

'Hey, Sakura. Who's that over there?' I asked, pointing to the West Gate. Sakura stopped on a tree branch and blinked a couple of times.

'I don't know, but they're wearing the Hyuuga clan crest on their arm.'

_Hyuuga clan crest?_

'You think it could be Hinata?'

Sakura squinted again. 'Nah, I don't think so. That person's alot taller than Hinata, and they have broad shoulders. It's probably a guy. They're wearing a Konoha headband, too...but that's weird...I don't know of any other Hyuuga ninjas except for Hinata and Neji.'

The memories came flooding back at the mention of the male Hyuuga. _Gosh, I almost forgot about Neji. What did you nickname him again?_

**Hmm...Lemme see if I remember...Oh yes, I recall that it was something along the lines of...THE AMAZING HYUUGA!**

_No need to yell it!_

'They have long hair like Neji, too,' said Sakura. 'Let's go closer.'

We crept through the trees, keeping a steady eye on the Hyuuga next to the West Gate. Finally I was close enough to see the face clearly, and I gasped. _It IS Hyuuga!_

'Hey! You! What makes you think it's okay to completely disappear for a year?! We thought you were dead!' I yelled, hopping up the tree branches to where he stood. He looked down at me. But as I hopped onto a branch that temporarily obscured my view of him, he disappeared into thin air. I heard Sakura gasp behind me.

'H-he just disappeared!'

I reached the branch where he had been standing. 'Obviously, he doesn't want to be found. Let's go into the village.'

Sakura nodded, obviously still shocked that someone could move that quick.

We walked up to the West Gate, where we were greeted by ANBU operatives immediately. One of them stepped forward. 'State your names and business.'

'Kikyo Zankichi and Sakura Haruno, returning from an undercover mission, with an urgent need to speak with Tsunade-sama.'

The rest of the operatives stepped forward. 'Welcome back, Zankichi-senpai, Haruno-senpai. Tsunade-sama has been expecting you. Please follow us.'

I exchanged glances with Sakura and laughed. 'We know our way around our own village, thanks!'

The ANBU operative was slightly embarassed. 'I-oh, yes, of course! I-I'm sorry...It's just a formality..'

As Sakura and I walked past him and into the village, I patted him on the shoulder. 'Don't worry about it, it's fine. At least we know you're doing your job!'

With that, I leapt off the ground and hopped onto the nearest building, Sakura directly behind me. We sped as fast as we could towards the Hokage's office. As soon as we reached the office, I jumped through an open window, landing on the floor directly in front of Tsunade's desk. 'Tsunade-sama-'

'Use the freaking door! You nearly gave me a heart attack!'

I blinked a couple of times. 'W-what?! B-but, Tsunade-'

'Go back out the window and walk through the front door like a freaking human being, eh?!'

'B-but-'

'Now, Kikyo! This is not a barn!'

I rolled my eyes. 'Difficult old woman!'

I hopped back out of the window and landed on the street below. _Where's Sakura?_

**She used the door the first time around.**

_Frick._

I sighed and turned around, walking through the front door and up the steps leading to Tsunade's office. Then I opened the door and walked in. 'Okay, now can we-'

'Did you knock?' asked Tsunade, with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

'What?! You senile old bag, what are you talking about?!'

'It's only polite for you to knock before you enter a room.'

I heard Sakura snickering from the corner of the office. I shot her a dirty look and then walked back out of the office, slamming the door. I took a breath and knocked softly. No one answered. I checked the doorknob. Sakura had locked it behind me.

I knocked a little louder. No one answered.

I pounded lightly on the door.

Made a fist and pounded the door again.

I kicked the door repeatedly. _What is it with doors?! I can't lock the door to my house, I can't close the door to my fridge, I can't open closet doors from the inside, and now I can't even KNOCK on a door?!_

'Tsunade-baachan! I know you're in there, crazy hag! I know you're in there, too, Sakura!'

I heard giggling from the other side of the door. I thought I would go insane, but at that moment Shizune walked past and noticed me fuming by the locked door. 'Uh, Kikyo-chan?'

'What?! Oh...Hi, Shizune..'

'Do you, uh, need help?'

I stared at her, with fake tears pooling in my eyes. 'Make the stupid old lady open the door! Pleease, Shizune-nee-chan?'

She sighed and walked to the door, turning the doorknob. It opened immediately. I stared at it in shocked silence for a couple of seconds. 'How-'

Tsunade walked out of the office, laughing hysterically, with Sakura trailing behind her. 'Y-you're sucha dunce! You were turning the doorknob the wrong way! Pfffahahahaha!'

I noticed Shizune silently slip down the hallway and out of sight. 'You're a stupid, dirty old woman. Now can we PLEASE discuss how we're going to handle Sasuke and Naruto?'

'Ah, fine, fine. Step into the office, smart one.'

_Stupid old gramma..._

**Yeah. Stupid old gramma who saved your life on more than one occasion.**

_I hold firm to my opinions. Stupid conscious..._

**Stupid human!**

'Kikyo, what have you found out about Akatsuki?'

I glanced up at Tsunade, who was now sitting behind her desk. She had on her 'Hokage Face'.

'They didn't take Sasuke, on the contrary, they're willing to help us. Itachi Uchiha has been given permission by the Akatsuki leader to lead his group into battle alongside us. Group consists of : Kisame of the Hidden Mist Village, Itachi of Konohagakure, Zetsu of...well...wherever the hell Zetsu's from, and, up until a couple of days ago, another man named Tobi.'

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. 'I thought there was another member living in the home?'

'There is, but he will not be joining the battle. It is Deidara of the Hidden Rock Village.'

'Why is he not joining the battle?'

I thought for a moment. 'Circumstances. I believe that is all you need to know, Tsunade-sama.'

'And why is the man named Tobi not joining?'

'He betrayed the whereabouts of Sakura and I to Orochimaru. He sensed Sakura's arrival at the house and left ahead of time to warn Orochimaru. There is no doubt that they will now be awaiting our arrival, which is why we have to hurry. We don't know how long they'll keep Naruto alive.'

Sakura spoke up. 'Why are you only worried about Naruto? They've got Sasuke, too.'

I turned to face her. 'Orochimaru wants Sasuke alive. That is quite obvious. He would've killed him by now, and Sasuke's probably part of the reason why Naruto is still alive.'

'So what do you propose, Kikyo?' asked Tsunade.

'How many jounins can you spare?'

'I can give you Kakashi, Kurenai, and Gai.'

I scowled. 'Do we really have to take Gai? He's such a nuisance...'

'Would you rather take Lee?'

'It's the same thing!'

'Good, then it's decided. Kakashi, Kurenai, and Gai.'

I groaned. 'Fine, now what about chunins?'

'Shikamaru, Kiba, Hinata, Ino, and TenTen sound good?'

'Fine,' I said.

'Temari and Kankuro of the Sand Village have also agreed to fight with us,' said Sakura. 'Gaara cannot leave the village, being the Kazekage, but he feels as if he still owes something to Naruto.'

I nodded. 'Good. So, we have five jonins and five chunins. Including me, Sakura, and the Akatsuki members...that makes fifteen of us. It should be enough, with our experience combined.'

Tsunade fidgeted in her chair.

'What?' I said.

'There is someone else who can be of help to you,' she said carefully.

Now Sakura stood up and took her place beside me. 'Who?'

Tsunade looked behind us as the door opened. 'Come in.'

'Well, well, what have we here,' said an amazingly obnoxious voice from behind me and Sakura. I turned around quickly, my jet black hair flying wildly.

_Smooth, obnoxious voice...It's..._

'Neji freaking Hyuuga,' I groaned loudly.


	8. Memories Returned

Neji walked into the room, his head held high. I was already sick of him. 'Ahh, Kii-chan! How I've missed you!'

'Aren't you supposed to be dead...' I grumbled.

'Dead? Me? Nonsense! Banishing _one_ demon isn't enough to do me in!'

'What a shame..'

Sakura coughed. 'Eh...Neji-senpai, how have you been?'

'Me? Oh, you know. Dashing across the country, looking for adventure, finding riches along the way-'

I interrupted. 'In other words, you've been slacking off for the past year.'

'That's another way to put it.'

Tsunade stood up. 'Neji will be going with you on your rescue mission.'

'Whatever. Just make sure he stays out of my way.'

'Er...that's the thing...' said Tsunade slowly. 'Kikyo, you will be serving as captain for this mission...but Neji will be the vice captain.'

Silence.

Dead, eerie, silence.

'Uh...Yay?' said Sakura, trying to break the awkwardness.

'No, Sakura! _Not yay_,' I said, walking towards the door to the office. 'Let's go. I'm going to gather the jonins and chunins for the mission. Sakura come with me, Neji...go, uh...save a kitten or something. If you can manage that...'

**What?! You're sending the AMAZING HYUUGA to save a kitten?! He's soo much more skilled than that!**

_Do you HAVE to yell EVERYTIME you say his stupid nickname?! And if he's really so SUPER-_

**Uh, it's AMAZING HYUUGA.**

_Whatever! If he's so AMAZING, then he'll find something to do with himself while Sakura and I take care of business._

As I walked out onto the street, I bumped into someone entering the building. 'Sorry,' I muttered, walking around the person.

'Hnn? Have you lost your sense of sarcasm?'

_Oh geez. If it's not one person, it's another._

'...Kakashi...'

He chuckled. I still hadn't looked up from the ground. 'Thank goodness you're back! Ino's been absolutely terrible to me! She won't even let me keep the key to the house anymore!'

I stared at him for a couple of seconds. 'Wait. You had a _key_ to the house?!'

'Yes! How do you think I got in all the time?'

'Stupid perverted...'

'What?'

'Nothing.'

Then I noticed that there was a squeaking noise coming from in front of me, where Kakashi was standing. I slowly looked up into Kakashi's face, and immediately gasped and took an involuntary step backwards. 'Y-you! Y-your mask is g-gone!'

'Ah, yes...Ino said she wouldn't let me into the house until I washed it...It _was_ getting quite dirty, I suppose...'

'Kikyo!'

I turned and saw Neji walking towards me. _Ugh._

**Aren't you grateful to him? He saved you from Hyako.**

_Of course I'm grateful, but that doesn't mean I have to LIKE him. Which reminds me..._

'Hyuuga. Come with me. I gotta talk to you,' I said, walking away from the maskless Kakashi. Neji followed, and we sat down at a nearby bench.

'What is it?'

'Well-'

'Oh! I almost forgot to tell you! I gather all of the chunins, and the jonins are going to arrive at the West Gate shortly.'

I stared. 'That was _my_ job.'

'Yes, well you're welcome.'

'...I don't remember saying thanks. Whatever. Do you remember what happened last year?'

Neji thought for a moment. 'You mean when you went completely insane and tried to kill Tsunade?'

'...Yeah...'

'Hn? What about it?'

'This has been bothering me ever since that day. How did you banish Hyako without dying? And how did Ren know how to seal her? Why did _he_ die, but not _you_?'

Neji grinned. 'Well, of course you wouldn't know. Your memory was erased from that day, right?'

'What day?'

'Exactly.'

Now I was thorougly confused. _What the heck is he talking about? What day?_

**Beats me. If you don't know, I probably don't.**

'Lean forward,' said Neji, motioning with his hand. I gave him a suspicious look. He sighed. 'I won't hurt you! Just lean forward and close your eyes. Only open them when I tell you to.'

I did as he told me, even though I was wary of my surroundings. But the minute his hand touched my forehead, I lost all sense of who I was, where I was, _what_ I was. And then I remembered everything that I wasn't supposed to. The story of how my fate was sealed.

**_- - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - _**

I blinked. So _this_ was what the world looked like. Lots of colors, and faces, too. But the light was a bit bright. I wasn't so sure I liked light.

I heard voices, but of course I didn't understand what they were saying. What 3 month old would?

A man approached me, where my mother held me. He was wearing a funny costume. A really tall hat, and he was holding a staff. I remember how I reached for the staff, and how the man laughed. 'Look, the little one is _already_ interested in the arts.'

He made a couple of signs with his hands, and then a funny blue light made his hand glow. He reached towards me and lightly tapped my forehead. He stood there for a moment, and then he jumped backwards, gasping for breath. My mother was immediately frantic. 'What?! What is it?!'

The man took a second to catch his breath. 'This child...it is a girl correct?'

'Yes!'

'She...is destined for great things. Great, terrible things.'

My mother was worried. I could tell. 'Terrible?' she asked uncomfortably.

The man nodded. 'She will kill many. But she will become one of the most respected shinobi of this village.'

A voice snorted from the darkness. 'Respected. Yes, but not from her own power.'

I turned my small head towards the voice, and saw an old lady emerge from the shadows. Her eyes were small and quick, analyzing me. Then she addressed my mother. 'If you want her to be _truly_ powerful, bring her to me on the day of her sixth year. You will find me.'

**_- - - - - -- - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- -- -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - _**

'Okaa-san, why do we have to go see that old lady? I don't like her,' I whined, looking up at my mother.

She sighed and looked down at me. 'Please don't ask questions, Kii. This is truly what is for the best. You will be so powerful in the future..'

I didn't get it. Of course I didn't. I was only six. But why that old lady? And on my birthday, no less! I thought of all of the cake and presents that I should be getting right now. But no. Instead, I was stumbling around, going to see a person who I didn't even _like_.

As we walked through the Zankichi clan compound, I looked up into the cherry blossom trees. This was my favorite time of year, when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. I always tried to enjoy it as much as possible, because by now, I knew that soon the cherry blossoms would fall to the ground and die. That always made me sad, even when I was a baby.

I was constantly tripping over my kimono, which was a size too large for me. The stupid wooden sandals weren't exactly helping either. Gosh, I hated those things. So uncomfortable. My mother's grip on my hand was vice-like, and I was a little sad that I couldn't break away from her and go to touch the cherry blossoms.

'Okaa-san, why didn't Oto-san want you to take me to the old lady? I heard him yelling this morning.'

My mother's grip tightened. 'Don't worry about it. We're almost there, anyway. You will thank me when you're older. This will make your future life so much better.'

Oh, mother. You have no idea how wrong you were. How your ambitions for greatness and power blinded you. How they led you into creating a monster out of your own child. Why, mother? Why did you willingly offer your daughter to the darkness? You should have listened to father. You should have let me live a normal life. Maybe you wouldn't be dead right now. Maybe we would all be happy. You, me, father, and Kuari.

Ah, Kuari. Why didn't you choose Kuari instead? She was just as pretty as me. Just as happy, just as playful. But you never even _looked_ at Kuari, did you, mother? No. She wasn't good enough, was she? She wasn't _chosen._

Poor, poor Kuari. My own sister, killed by my hands. My own, _beloved_ sister. Because of you, mother. Because of your poor decisions. I wish I could have seen Kuari again. Tell her how sorry I was. Did you regret it, mother? When you saw me standing over you, ready to kill you, did you regret it? Did you immediately regret turning me into a monster? Did the fear finally make you realize how truly foolish you had been? I bet you wished you had never sacrificed me to Hyako. But it's too late now, eh, mother? Too late for all of you.

I supposed we had arrived at our destination, because mother stopped in front of a house and led me inside. It was eerily dark inside. Now, even as a child, I had adored the dark. It made me comfortable. But this darkness inside the house was unnerving. It was enclosing. I felt like hands were constantly grabbing at my throat, constricting me.

Then we came to the old lady's room. She sat at the far wall, with two men dressed in black on either side of her. There were candles in a circle around her. My mother stopped in the doorway and gently pushed me inside. I didn't wanna go. It was scary, and I hated that old woman. She grinned. 'Kikyo, little flower, come inside and sit in the circle with Granny Hebi.'

Grandmother Snake. How fitting that name was. Everything about her was snake-like. From the way she moved, to the way she spoke. Reluctantly, I stepped over the candles and plopped down in front of the old woman. I glanced around nervously. Why were the men closing all of the doors and windows? Why were they_ locking_ them?

I fidgeted. 'Now, now, flower. No need to be nervous. Granny Hebi will take wonderful care of you. You just need to relax.'

'O-okaa-san...I want to go home...Please, okaa-san...Can we go home?'

I stood up, and tried to back out of the circle. One of the black-clad men moved to grab me, and I squealed and hopped back. I made a dash for the door, but the men were quicker. They grabbed me and threw me back into the circle. But this time I couldn't move. I couldn't even stand.

Granny Hebi moved her hand to reach towards me, and as she did, I saw something in her eyes. In her face.

The very skin on her face was beginning to peel away, and underneath was more skin, chalk white. Her old, gray hair was falling out, being replaced by long, black hair. I screamed and tried desperately to break free of whatever invisible bonds were holding me. It was as if a corpse was reaching out to touch me.

'Okaa-san! Please! No!' I screamed.

Granny Hebi's voice had changed. It was now a _man's_ voice. 'Now, now, child. I will not harm you. I merely want to change you. That is all. Now, relax and let me implant this experiment within you...'

I screamed louder, tears now streaming from my eyes. I fought harder, to no avail. The candles surrounding the circle were now flaring wildly, and the man in front of me was laughing, an evil, mocking laugh. 'I told you not to worry. But you did not obey. It could have been painless, little flower. But now, it may hurt. You will be of _much_ use to me in the future..'

Pain surged through every limb in my body, causing me to scream louder. Even as I continued to scream, I felt the changes occuring. Something inside of me was ripping, tearing apart into a million pieces.

It was my humanity. And it was being torn apart by this man's _experiment_. I felt the evil blood mixing with my own, and I felt the anger burning up inside me, along with the fear. My voice was becoming deeper, like I was an animal. The man was not even touching me; his hand was hovering slightly above me. But there was an evil flowing out of it, like none any human had ever seen before.

The pain was beginning to be too much. The room began spinning, and as I lost consciousness, I remember screaming my mother's name. I remember losing the will to fight. I remember seeing my mother, her face a blank slate of emotion, standing in a corner, watching her child's humanity - her six year old child's humanity - die before her very eyes. Never again will I forget.

-- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - -

I crept through the alleyways of Konoha, looking for Ren. _Where the heck is this kid?_

**Dear goodness...You're TEN. Go home, already! It's like, midnight!**

_Not until I find Ren. He borrowed my practice kunai. I need that thing for tomorrow. Why are you here anyway? I don't want you. Go away._

**Believe me, if I could, I WOULD. I have better things to do than be stuck in the mind of an obnoxious ten year old.**

I heard Ren's voice coming from a window ahead of me. _Hey...That's the Hyuuga house...What's Ren doing there?_

Moving as quickly and quietly as possible, I hoisted myself up to the window and watched. Inside, I saw a boy with milky eyes and long hair practicing a jutsu with what looked like his father. The father smiled and adjusted his son's stance. 'Neji, you'll never get this sealing jutsu right if you don't have the right stance. Look at Ren-san. His stance is almost flawless.'

I saw Ren standing off to the side, already in his stance. _Hmm, what are they doing?_

'Dad, why do I have to learn how to seal a demon? There aren't any in Konoha, right?'

Neji's father was silent. 'You never know, Neji. That is why you must learn. You are part of the elite corps of the Hyuuga family. Your job for life is to protect this village from the evil of demons. Remember, one day I won't be around to help you.'

'But why is Ren-san learning? He's not a Hyuuga.'

'Ren-san has...special conditions. There are people that he must protect.'

Neji thought for a moment. 'Like Kikyo-san?'

His father froze. 'What do you know about Kikyo-san?'

'Nothing, but sometimes she acts weird when everyone else is talking about their mothers. I don't think she has one.'

'No, Neji...She has one...But she might as well not have one at all.'

- -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - -- - - - - -

'Kikyo, you okay?'

I blinked the tears away from my eyes. 'Why don't I remember any of the things you just showed me?'

Neji sighed. 'Orochimaru made it a point to make sure you didn't remember any of that.'

'Orochima-'

I froze.

'Orochimaru was Granny Hebi. He sealed Hyako into my body, didn't he?'

Neji nodded. 'He hoped to use you later as a vessel, but when he saw how dangerous you truly were, he decided against it. That's why he took Sasuke. As his new vessel.'

'And my mother...allowed this to happen. She stood there while this...monster was being placed into my soul.'

Neji nodded again. 'I'm so sorry...'

'Is that why?' I whispered, the tears flowing down my face.

'Is that why, what?'

'Is that why I killed my family first? When Hyako took control four years ago, is that why she killed them first?'

Neji was silent. I already knew the answer. I stood up from the bench and walked towards the West Gate. 'Come on.'

'What are you going to do?'

I glanced back.

'I'm going to kill Orochimaru. Just like the way he killed me.'


	9. Getting To Know Each Other

An hour later, we were on our way. As I walked out of the West Gate, I looked around at our assembled team. They were told that I would explain the plan along the way.

The jonins were spread out along the team, to make sure we didn't get ambushed. There was Kankuro, the puppet master of Suna ; Temari, his sister, with her massive battle fan ; Kakashi, still without his mask, the infamous Copy Ninja ; Kurenai, the genjutsu master, flirting with Kakashi ; and...Gai, who was currently trying to 'encourage' the team with a pep talk about the wonders of the power of youth. I wanted to kick him in the head.

So did everyone else on the team, I guess. The chunins were getting the worst of the pep talk. Shikamaru, the genius, was ready to smash his face against a tree ; Kiba, with his nin-dog Akamaru, was just about to 'accidentally' throw a kunai into Gai's face ; Hinata, the quieter Hyuuga and Neji's cousin, was quietly dealing with the noise ; TenTen, the weapons expert, was rolling her eyes. Man, I felt sorry for her. Gai had been her sensei for a couple of years now. _How the heck did she deal with him?!_

**We've been on his mission for about three minutes, and I'm already ready to kill him.**

Ino was less understanding of Gai's talk than TenTen. She finally couldn't take it anymore. She took a deep breath. 'Gai-sensei...I mean no offense when I say this...but...SHUT THE HELL UP.'

'Ah! I see we have among us someone who does not understand the flowers of youth! You must breathe the beautiful air of happy youthfulness and swim al0ng the shores of the OCEAN OF SUCCESS!'

He pulled some 'Gai' pose. At that moment, I felt like I could hear the thoughts of every single person on the team. It went something like, _Gayest man EVER._

On either side of me, Sakura and Neji rolled their eyes in unison. Sakura stopped walking for a moment and pointed to the sky. 'What's that?'

Everyone, even Gai, fell silent and looked up to where Sakura was pointing. There was a bird - a _big_ bird - flying directly towards us, with a message in its mouth. Around it's left talon, was a metal band. With the sign of the Sound Village on it. I signaled for everyone else to step back while I moved forward to retrieve the message and make sure it wasn't a trap. I didn't feel any chakra coming off the bird, so I stepped forward just as it was landing on the path in front of us.

It dropped the message and flew off. _Nice bird._

**I hate birds...**

I bent down and picked up the note, opening it carefully. The inside read as follows :

"_This message is meant for only the eyes of Kikyo Zankichi and/or Sakura Haruno._

_I don't have alot of time with this. You guys need to come now, as in, NOW._

_Naruto doesn't have much time left. The only thing keeping him alive is the Kyuubi's chakra. I've been able to take care of him as best as I can, but he's slipping. I've earned the trust of Orochimaru, to an extent, but I think he's beginning to suspect that I've been keeping Naruto alive._

_The moment you stop reading this, destroy it so that NO ONE else can read it. Sakura, I love you, no matter what, and I'm fine. Please, come as fast as possible. If you guys aren't here in three days, I'm going to put my own plan into action, with or without you._

_- Sasuke -_"

_No. NO._

'Sakura!' I yelled. She immediately appeared at my side and read the note, her eyes growing wider.

'W-what do we do?! Sasuke can't handle them all on his own! _And_ he's going to try and save Naruto while fighting his way out of there?! In _three days_?! We won't have time to get the Akatsuki backups _and_ get to the Sound Village in three days!'

'I know, Sakura! Shut up and let me think for a second!'

I heard Shikamaru call out to us. 'Move!' he yelled, and then I heard the rustling in the bushes behind me and Sakura.

'Ugh, I knew we should've sent a note or something. Look, we scared them!'

_Kisame?!_

I spun around and saw them. Itachi, Kisame, Zetsu, and...Deidara?!

_What are they thinking?! I specifically told them not to bring Deidara!_

The anger returned. 'Itachi! What did I tell you before! I said not to bring Deidara. He is _not_ to participate in this rescue!' I yelled to Itachi.

He looked at me straight in the eye, but I didn't break my glare, even though his look sent shivers throughout my whole body.

'Deidara is coming along as a backup soldier. He will not be sent into battle and/or rescue situations unless things take a grim turn. Then, he will only participate if he has my permission, and yours.'

I glared for a moment longer. 'Very well.'

Then I turned back to my own Konoha team. 'Line up and listen up!'

The dutifully made a straight line across the road. I stepped in front of them, motioning to the Akatsuki members in back of me. 'These are Akatsuki. You have been taught to hate them, to fight them, to kill them. But right now, I'm ordering you to fight alongside them. You could learn a thing or two from them, and they can learn from you. Help each other, because we need 100 cooperation for this mission to succeed. They're good people,' I said, but then I looked at Deidara and continued, 'most them, anyway.'

I introduced them. 'This is Itachi Uchiha. Most of you know his story. You will _not_, under penalty of severe punishment, judge him based on what you have heard. That would be like me saying Gai is a psycho because of the way he dresses.'

I was greeted my several muffled snickers. 'Ookay, bad comparison...Moving on!' I pointed to Kisame. 'This is Kisame. He is a fish. A fish with a very dangerous sword, let me remind you. So if you feel like making fun of him about _being_ a fish, I would strongly act against that feeling.'

'That's Zets-'

Gai hopped forward and began waving his arms. 'T-the flower of youth! I have found it!'

He ran forward and _hugged_ Zetsu.

'Dear God, Gai, no!' I yelled.

TenTen whispered, 'Why is that plant wearing a cloak?'

Zetsu sighed. 'I am _not_ a plant, I am human!' The black side began to talk. 'Hey, you, kunoichi. Is this your sensei?' he asked TenTen. She nodded. 'Well, you have about ten seconds to get him away from me, or else he's not gonna have any arms.'

'I-uh-um, Gai-sensei! Look! A youthful, uh...rock! Yes! It's so gray with youth!' exclaimed TenTen, pointing at a random tree. Gai immediately unlatched himself from Zetsu and went to speak with the rock, which he excitedly named 'Rocky'.

_This is retarded._

**This is your life.**

_Good point._

'Okay!' I said. 'Take some time to get to know each other, and then we'll leave!'

**_- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - -_**

Ino stepped carefully over to Deidara, who was trying hard not to look interested. She stared at him for a couple of seconds. Then, as loudly as possible, she yelled, 'Sakura! Heeeey, Sakura! Looky here! This guy kinda looks like me!'

'What'd you say?' replied Sakura, who couldn't really hear Ino.

Ino sighed. 'I saaaaaid, this guy kinda looks like me!'

'What?'

'THIS GUY KINDA LOOKS LIKE ME!'

'I can't hear you, speak up!'

'THIS GUY LOOKS LIKE M-'

Deidara couldn't take it. 'SHUT UP, UN!'

'...NEVERMIND, SAKURA! I THINK I'M PRETTIER!'

Kiba walked over and examined Deidara. 'Hey Ino...I'm not even sure this _is_ a guy...'

'I'm a guy, un!' replied Deidara.

'Really? I couldn't tell...'

**_- -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - -_**

Meanwhile, Hinata was standing off in a corner, watching the scenes before her. Kisame walked over. 'Hey, why are you so quiet?'

'Oh, I, er, um, I d-don't really t-talk...'

'Why not?'

'Oh..um..Usually, I d-don't really have import-tant things to s-say..'

Kisame examined her for a second. 'Okay, sit down.'

Hinata sat down underneath a tree, and Kisame sat also. 'Now, put on your battle face.'

'M-my b-battle face?'

'Yeah! You know! Your GRR face! Your angry face!'

Hinata couldn't do anything but stare. Kisame sighed. 'Don't tell me you don't have a battle face! Okay, well look here. I'll teach you how to bring out your inner battle fiend! First we start with the facial expressions, then we'll move onto the attitude, got it?'

'Y-yes, Fishy-sensei...'

**_- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - _**

All of the jonins were gathered around Zetsu. There was dead silence. Kurenai coughed. 'So...do you like...eat people?'

'Occasionally,' replied the white half of Zetsu.

'Would it hurt if I pulled a leaf out?' asked Kankuro, reaching out to touch one.

'Would it hurt if I pulled your hair out?' said the black half of Zetsu. 'Oi! Slappy the Clown! No touchy the leaves! Why don't you do us a favor and BUY A MIRROR, so you don't have to walk around looking like your purple mascara's running.'

Kankuro looked like he could cry. 'I think my face paint looks cool! Right, sis?!'

'Um, yeah...Sure, Kankuro,' muttered Temari, looking away and scratching her head.

'What do people taste like?' asked Kakashi. 'Are we like, crunchy or something?'

Everyone stared at him. I made a mental note. _Note to self, stay away from Kakashi...may be a cannibal.._

**I always knew there was something wrong with him..**

'Oh, no no! I'm just saying, in case we're in an emergency situation with no food, I wanna know what I can eat!'

Everyone inched away from him slowly.

**_- - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - _**

I called Shikamaru over to where I was sitting with Sakura, Neji, and Itachi. 'Hey, Shika-chan! Come here!'

He walked over and plopped himself down. 'You know I hate when you call me that..'

'I know! That's why I do it! Now, help us think up a rescue strategy. We can't just charge in.'

'Ugh, how troublesome...'

'Life's troublesome. Get over it.'

**_- - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - -- - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- -_**

After about an hour of planning, I stood up with a piece of paper in my hands. 'Okay! Everyone listen! I have the arranged teams here, and then I'll announce the plan!'

The teams were :

**- Team One -**

Kakashi

Shikamaru

Kisame

**- Team Two -**

Kurenai

Gai

Kiba

Hinata

**- Team Three -**

Temari

Kankuro

TenTen

Ino

Zetsu

'Team One! Your purpose is to take out the lesser ninjas. Shikamaru, I want you to figure out the best way to take them all out without using that much chakra. You will then instruct Kakashi and Kisame, who will eliminate the threat,' I said.

'Team Two! You will enter the base and find Sasuke and Naruto, _no matter what_. Hinata, first, you need to use your Byakugan to locate the positions of Sasuke and Naruto. Then while in the base, Kiba will use his sense of smell to navigate through the hallways and find them. You are to be alert at all times. Kurenai and Gai, I expect you to make sure no harm comes to Kiba or Hinata. They are _vital_ if we are to pull off this rescue.'

'Team Three! Your purpose is simple. Take out as many Sound ninja as you possibly can. Make sure they don't get in the way. Everyone got it?'

All agreed.

'Remember, fear will slow you down, make you vulnerable. Hesitation could cost you your life. One instant could mean life or death. Watch out for each other, but don't do anything reckless. I don't want to have to carry a dead body back to Konoha. Now, are we ready?'

Ino raised her hand.

'What, Ino.'

'What about blondie? How come he's not on a team?'

I didn't know what to say. Itachi stepped forward and placed a hand on my shoulder. 'Deidara is a special circumstance. Nothing that you need to worry yourself about.'

'What's your team gonna do, Kikyo?'

'We're going straight for the bossman. Orochimaru himself,' I said. 'Now, are we ready? Let's go!'

I was pumped, ready to go!

Kakashi raised his hand.

'I'm hungry!'


	10. Plans Interrupted

A voice came quietly through the radio. 'Team One, in position.'

I fumbled for the radio and looked at Neji. He nodded silently, and I whispered back, 'All clear, Team One. Move in at the signal. Team Two, how are we doing?'

Kurenai answered. 'Almost to the designated window. But the place is absolutely _crawling_ with Sound shinobi. This is gonna be difficult.'

I sighed. 'Do your best. If anything happens, and I mean _anything_, call us and I'll send help. Clear?'

'Clear. We'll contact you once we reach the entry point.'

'Has Hinata been able to find Sasuke and Naruto's chakra yet?'

'It's hard because of all the shinobi walking around, but she's found Sasuke's. But, Kikyo...'

'What?'

'He's up to something. His chakra is nervous.'

Of course he would be up to something. Which is why we needed to speed up this rescue mission. It had taken us approximately three days to reach the Sound Village. Today was the day that Sasuke was putting his 'plan' into action to save Naruto. _Stupid idiot._

**You can't blame him for wanting to try. He said it in the note, Naruto doesn't have much time left.**

'Kurenai, make sure when you find Sasuke, you give him a direct order from me.'

'Okay.'

'Tell him he is to take you to Naruto and then exit the base _immediately._'

'You know he won't listen, Kikyo.'

'I know, but try anyway.'

_That idiot is gonna try and be the hero._

I turned my head slowly and counted the people behind me. _Okay, everyone's here._

I turned on the radio so that every team would get the transmission. 'Team Two, clear?'

'Clear!'

'Team One?'

'Clear!'

'Alright. Remember, help each other. Do not die. And...GO!'

There was a slight breeze as Team Three jumped out of the bushes from behind us. They crept quickly and quietly up to the solemn, looking base.

Then I saw it out of the corner of my eye. TenTen saw it too. She immediately jumped out of the way and looked back at the spot where she had been standing. Embedded in the ground was a kunai. The first punch had been thrown.

Chaos erupted.

Out of every single window and door of the base, Sound ninja came streaming out into the courtyard, chucking weapons as they went. _What a bunch of idiots. You don't just go head-on towards your opponents, throwing weapons! These are obviously the lesser soldiers..._

'Team One!' I yelled into the radio. 'This is your job! They're inexperienced and poorly trained. Go! Team Three, fall back a little and let Team One do their work!'

Team Three retreated a little bit towards the trees, and as soon as they were clear of the area, all of the Sound ninja stopped moving. Just like that, they all froze. I saw Shikamaru grin. He leaned his head backwards, and so did the Sound ninja. _Shadow manipulation. Sweet. _Kakashi's voice came through the radio. 'Trapping, successful!'

'Very good, now take them out.'

Before any of the Sound ninja knew what was happening, Kakashi was already springing from the trees, wielding the largest Chidori I'd ever seen. The chirping noise was nearly unbearable, and I found myself holding my hands tightly to my ears. Kakashi jumped into the center of the courtyard and brough his hand down, letting the Chidori explode. All of the Sound ninja were killed instantly, no pain. Kakashi hopped back into the trees, satisfied with his work.

'This is going better than I thought it would,' said Neji. 'This is almost too easy.'

Itachi peered over the bushes. 'Don't get too comfortable. This is Orochimaru we're talking about. This is going to get difficult.'

Some static came in over the radio, followed by Hinata's voice. 'Oi, Kikyo, we found Sasuke!'

'Oh g- Hinata?! Is that you?!'

'Yeah, it's me! Who'd you think it was?'

'I-you-you're not stammering! And you're...um..'

'Forceful? Yeah, I'm done with being quiet!'

_Dear God, what did Kisame teach her?!_

'That's...kinda scary..Okay, you said you guys found Sasuke?'

'Yep. You wanna walk to him?'

'Yeah.'

I heard fumbling as the radio was handed over to Sasuke. 'Kikyo, is it really you?'

'No, teme. It's a freaking dinosaur.'

Sakura snatched the radio away. 'Sasuke, you baka! Do you know how worried I was?! I thought you were _dead_!'

'Sakura, Sakura, I'm fine, I promise! Although it's nice to now how much faith you guys had in me...'

'Shut up! You're in no position to be making fun of _us_!'

'Hey, Kikyo, is it true what Kurenai told me?'

I took the radio back. 'About what?'

'About Akatsuki. Are they really here? Helping?'

'Yeah.'

'Even my brother?'

I didn't get a chance to answer, because I heard angry cries coming from the courtyard. I flew over to the bushes and glanced over to see several more experienced ninjas coming out of the base and charging towards Team One and Team Three.

There was static on the radio, and I heard Kurenai begin to yell. 'What's going on?!' I yelled.

'T-they found us!' answered Kurenai. 'One minute it was quiet, and then they were just there! It was impossible to sense them coming! Oh God, they're _everywhere_!'

'Kurenai! Listen closely! You are _not_ to engage in battle! I repeat, you are _not_ to engage in battle! Run! Get away from the enemy and find Naruto, then get out! Tell Sasuke to get out of there _right now!_'

There was gasping on the other end of the radio. They were running. 'O-okay! Kiba found Naruto's scent and we're following it down to the- OHMYGOSH, NO, GAI! THE HALLWAY'S TOO NARROW, DON'T-'

BOOM.

A hole the size of an eighteen wheeler truck exploded from the front hallway of the base. All I heard was Gai yelling. 'Oooochi! The swinging lotus kick of justice has destroyed the wall so that the good, youthful Sasuke can escape! Fly, you flowering bird, FLY!'

I heard Sasuke yelling. 'No, you idiot! I can't _fly_! What are you doing?! No! Put me down!'

When the smoke cleared, I saw about a dozen Sound ninja flying out of the hole in the wall. A second later, I saw Gai step out onto a piece of concrete and chuck Sasuke clear across the courtyard and right into the bushes where we were hiding before he disappeared back into the base to get Naruto. 'Yes! You have flown, youth bird!'

Sasuke landed on his butt, skidding across the dirt until he smashed into a tree. 'Argh, you idiot, Gai!' Then he saw me. 'You! _You_ are on the very top of my shit list! You sent _Gai_ to save me?! That's like sending Kiba to save a kitten! What is wrong with you?!'

'Hey! It was either Gai or Lee! I actually spared you some torture!'

Sakura tackled Sasuke onto the ground, tears in her eyes. 'Saaaasukee!!'

He was turning blue. 'S-Sakura...Can't breathe...World..spinning...'

'Neh, Sakura-san...' said Neji.

'Shut up! Can't you see we're having a heartfelt reunion?!'

'Sakura, you're killing him.'

She looked down at Sasuke. 'Sorry!'

Sasuke got up and dusted himself off. 'Sakura, I love you, but you're insane.'

Then he saw Itachi standing off to the side, a worried look on his face. _Uh oh._

'You...' said Sasuke, his eyes wide in disbelief. 'I'll kill you.'

I stepped between them. 'Teme, stand down! He helped us _save_ you.'

'Why?! So you could just kill me yourself?!' he yelled to Itachi.

Itachi sighed and shook his head. 'Little brother. You don't change much.'

Sasuke was about to yell something else when there was a huge explosion from the courtyard. Team One and Team Three were immediately blown backwards.

I blinked as the smoke cleared. _Oh my gosh._

**That's so not good.**

In the middle of the courtyard was a huge crater. Inside the crater, however was a huge _snake_, easily about fifty feet tall. Surrounding the snake were members of the elite Sound ninja battle force. In other words, the strongest Sound shinobi ever to exist. _Crap._

'Ahhh, my little flower has returned to me!' said an eerie, drawling voice. My heart froze. I looked up into the glaring sunlight, and sure enough, standing on top of the snake's head, was Orochimaru.

_Double crap._

My entire body froze, and I saw the Sound shinobi getting ready to attack my teams. 'No, no, not yet. Let me hear the girl speak first. Why have you come here, flower?'

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Deidara tensing behind a rock. He was getting ready to attack. As calmy as I could manage, I spoke. 'Deidara, if you even _dare_ to come out from behind that rock, these Sound ninja will be the _least_ of your worries. Stay where you are.'

'But, Kikyo-' said Deidara, standing up.

I threw a kunai, which embedded itself deep within a tree no more than an inch from where Deidara was standing. 'I said stay! That's an order!'

Deidara stared at me with pleading eyes. I answered with a cold gaze.

Orochimaru chuckled. 'Oh, how bossy we've become, eh? So, now, why are you here?'

I sucked up all of my courage and addressed Orochimaru. 'You know full well why we're here. We're here to get Sasuke and Naruto.'

'Ah, I know that's why the _others_ are here. But _you_ have a different reason, don't you, flower?'

A strange darkness came over my mind. The trees in front of me began to fade away, and before I knew it, I couldn't see anything. I could only hear Orochimaru's voice. 'You're here to kill me, aren't you? You're here to take revenge for your own suffering. I'll take it that the blasted Hyuuga boy restored your full memories, eh? I should have known that boy was going to be trouble. Should have killed him when he was small. Ah, well.'

There was a calm in my soul. I was floating. 'Would you like to know why your precious Ren died from sealing you, when Neji escaped without even so much as a scratch?'

I was feeling drowsy. I wanted to go to sleep, but I just couldn't. I could only keep listening to Orochimaru. 'It was the emotion. He was attached to you. He let his emotion get in the way, and that was what ultimately killed him. Hyako spoke to him. Tricked him. Told him that if he gave up his life, you would be saved forever. And he gladly gave up his life knowingly, because he thought it would save you _forever_. Hmph. So much for that.'

Who was talking anyway? I didn't like his voice. It made me angry.

'The Hyuuga boy had no emotional attachment to you. He couldn't care less if you lived or died. He knew not to be tricked by Hyako. People could learn a thing or two from him. Lock away your emotions. Kill them. They mean nothing. To be strong, you cannot have any emotional attachment. To _anything_.'

Ugh, I wished he would stop talking. Such an obnoxious voice. He reminded me of my mother. But then again, she never really spoke _to_ me. More of _about_ me. To the neighbors, the other Zankichi clan members. I can still hear her voice saying how much more experienced I was than Kuari, how much stronger, how much smarter, how much _better_.

That wasn't true. Not in the slightest bit. Kuari was better than me. Kuari was never mean to me. Even though mother hated her. Even though she was called weak and useless. But she was always good to me. She never took her anger out on me, even though it was my fault. I can hear her voice, too.

'_Kikyo, I don't care what anyone else says. You're my little sister. I'll protect you, no matter what._'

I still remember the day she died. The day I killed her. She was the only one who didn't seem scared. She was the only one who didn't look at me with such hatred. Because she knew. She knew everything. She knew I was still her little sister. She vowed to protect me. And she did.

'You're probably wondering why I've told you all of this,' said Orochimaru. 'But I don't really think it matters...'

I could hear a distant rumbling. It sounded like something was crashing down to the ground. '...now that you're about to die.'

Everything hit me at once. My hearing returned first. I heard people screaming my name. Sakura was the loudest. What was she saying? 'Kikyo! Get out of the way! What are you doing?! Move!'

Then my sense of touch came back, along with my sight. I opened my eyes and saw that I was on all fours, down on the broken ground of the courtyard. I was breathing heavily, and the crashing and rumbling seemed to be getting louder. But I still couldn't move. All I could do was tilt my head upwards to see what was crashing.

The giant snake. It's terrifying mouth was wide open, and it was hurtling towards the ground, one huge fang pointed directly at where I was kneeling, paralyzed. _This is it, I guess. It's like Itachi said. You can't go back to your mistakes...Sometimes the only way to fix your mistakes..is to erase them completely. I guess I'm like Itachi. I'm the mistake._

I wasn't scared, much to my surprise. I was willing to accept this death. I deserved it. I had killed so many people. Done so many things. And I knew that if I continued living, I would just kill more. Hurt more. It wasn't worth it.

The fang was no more than six feet above my head now. I closed my eyes, waited for certain impact. I could still hear Sakura screaming. _Stop, Sakura. Please, stop. Don't scream for me. Don't cry for me. It's done._

But then I heard her gasp, and I realized that the fang had stopped crashing down. Did it miss? Impossible. It was a sure hit. My eyes still closed, I managed to throw my onto my back, and I opened my eyes, looking up at the sky.

I'd never had so many emotions shooting through me at once. Sadness. Grief. Shock. Anger. The tears welled up in my eyes. 'Idiot!' I shrieked. 'Why?! Why can't you just listen to orders?! Why couldn't you just let me die?!'

The tears flowed out. I looked up at the body standing over me, shielding me from the deadly fang. He smiled weakly. 'And...let you...have all the...fun?'

My voice was shrill and full of anger, sounding scary even to myself. I shrieked again, 'I told you to stay put! I told you not to interfere! Deidara!'


End file.
